New year, new innovations, new trends. With exciting developments emerging in 2020, from AI based automation, voice search, to further personalization, our MMBSY experts – ranging from PR, to social media and content marketing – are happy to share their 5 most interesting marketing trends for 2020.
Marketing Trend #1 – Influencer Marketing is here to stay, but in a more durable way – Eline: PR Manager
Influencer Marketing has boomed in the last couple of years and is now part of the everyday marketing mix. In 2020 the importance of influencer marketing will definitely continue to grow. As the influencer market grows and matures, so does the need for more “sustainable” partnerships. At MMBSY we are a firm believer in building long lasting and durable relationships with our influencers. So, we’ve listed some upcoming durable influencer marketing trends:
a) Long term partnerships will become the norm. Now that more and more brands are working with influencers, finding and keeping the right influencers is key. That’s why in 2020 we will see an increase in long term partnerships. Influencers will become true brand ambassadors, building loyal and durable relationships with the brands they work with.
b) Rise of the micro influencer: “quality over quantity” is one of the slogans of influencer marketing in 2020. More than ever marketeers are aware that building trust & generating engagement is more important than follower count. Micro influencers are known to have a stronger connection with their followers and thus a higher engagement rate. Because of this, they could lead to conversion on a local scope.
c) No more picture perfect: Gen Z is all about authenticity and being ‘real’. The next generation isn’t interested in a curated and perfect Instagram feed. They want to see real and (semi)unedited photos. So get used to seeing a lot of #nofilter pictures in 2020.
d) #AD: Transparency is key in 2020. As the influencer market matures, so do the different influencer practices. Not only will clear agreements, contracts and briefings become normal, disclosing collaborations will become mandatory. In 2019, new regulations and laws about influencer marketing have kicked the need for transparency into high gear. 2020 will be the year where using #ad or #collab will become a habit for most influencers.
Marketing Trend #2 – Video content will dominate – Karen: PR Manager
Video content is far more engaging than any other. Short form video used on TikTok and Instagram Stories or longer video content on YouTube are the future of social media marketing. Cisco Predicts that by 2023, 82% of the published content will be video. If you’re not yet hopping on the video trend for your content marketing, definitely start doing so. At MMBSY we’ve got great experience in this domain. For example, we organized a Facebook livestream for the launch of the collab between our client Tadaaz and Peter and Jitske Van de Veire and create kick-ass video content for NOVY.
Marketing Trend #3 – Momentary content will gain even more popularity – Chloé: Jr. Content/Social Media Marketeer
Instagram Stories and Snapchat are perfect examples of ephemeral content: available only for a short period and disappearing afterwards. Their success is due to the fact that people consume these formats as a way to relax. Looking at Instagram stories has become an “experience” in itself. Another benefit of IG stories are the endless personalization possibilities. From video, to GIFs, pictures – you choose the content and make it hyper personal by adding stickers, text, filters … Basically it’s a way of personal branding. Our MMBSY-marketeers are used to incorporate IG stories in their plans – with success. For example, we use our own stories to highlight our brands, press days, collabs and much more.
Marketing Trend #4 – Audio will become key – Sofie: Content Marketeer
Visual content has never been so popular as it was in 2019 and will continue to be in 2020. However, with the emerge of podcasts, brands can’t neglect the importance of audio. It will not only be crucial to make your brand “look” good, but also to make it “sound” good – which can be quite challenging without any visual support. Consumers will also be using their own voice even more, with the use of voice search through smart devices. Brands need to make sure their content is optimized for this new way of search and aim to pop up first in the search results with relevant content before their competitors do. At MMBSY, we’re quite curious to see – or should we say hear – what 2020 has in store for our clients in terms of these trends. Heads up: we’ve got some cool podcasts lined up.
Marketing Trend #5 – Creating hero moments in social media will have you pop-out – Sabrina: PR Manager
While it is important in your social media strategy to be regularly present with carefully planned posts, it is also key to create special peaks in your communication. These hero events will help your brand stands out from your competitors. These moments can also be linked to top topicals, such as the seasons, like for example Christmas and Halloween content. At MMBSY we are used to do this for many of our lifestyle brands like Blokker, Niamh, La Redoute, and many more.
We hope you enjoyed reading our trend article. Find this interesting? Keep an eye on our blog for more content.
